How to manage storage on Xbox One

The main things that take up space on Xbox One are games and apps. If your Xbox fills up, make space by uninstalling stuff you're not using. Any data for your games and apps (preferences, saved games) syncs online when you sign in to Xbox Live. So when you reinstall a deleted game or app, your saved data comes right back with it.

How much storage do I have?

Xbox One comes with either a 500-gigabyte (GB) or 1-terabyte (TB) internal hard drive. Most of this space is available for games and apps, though some is reserved for saved games, console software, and other system functions.

What’s stored on my hard drive, and what’s stored in the cloud?

When you’re signed in to Xbox Live, personal data for your games and apps gets stored on your Xbox and online. That way, you don’t lose game position when you play at a friend’s house or get a new Xbox.

Note A regular connection to Xbox Live is required to keep your data in sync. Playing offline could put your online data out of sync. Your data refreshes every time you connect to Xbox Live.

How can I check my free space?

Go to your games & apps:

From Home, select My games & apps.

At left side, a meter shows space used and total free space.

Note Your Xbox uses some storage for system files, so even with no games installed, you won’t see the full 500 GB or 1 TB free.

How do I set up external storage?

Video: Add extra storage. Connect a USB hard drive to your Xbox One, or take your hard drive to use your games with someone else's console. Learn how to move games, apps, and add-ins among drives.

Note This video is available in English only.

To use external storage with Xbox One games and apps, your hard drive must:

Hold 256 GB or more

Connect via USB 3.0

When you first connect, Xbox will prompt you to format your device. You can use it for Xbox games and apps, or for personal media such as pictures, music, and video. (Xbox will treat devices that don’t meet the above requirements as media storage.)